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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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183 results for: European American Settlement

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Image of Butter paddle, 1860-1900

Butter paddle, 1860-1900

This butter paddle or spade was owned by the McCallister/Mercer family who were early European settlers in Seattle. Paddles like these were used to remove excess liquid from freshly churned butter prior to placement in molds.
ID Number:1962.2723.7
Date:1860-1900
Image of Tin milk jug, ca. 1870

Tin milk jug, ca. 1870

This milk jug was owned by the McCallister family who were early European settlers in Seattle. The donor stated that it was later used as a penny bank.
ID Number:1962.2723.8
Date:Circa 1870
Image of Wooden kitchen bowl or tray, 1860-1900

Wooden kitchen bowl or tray, 1860-1900

This wooden kitchen bowl could be used for chopping items (with a rounded food chopping tool rather than a straight knife) or for working and shaping butter. This one was used by Frances Mercer McCallister, who came to the Seattle area in 1863 when she was two years old. She married John W. H. McCallister who ran a brickyard near…
ID Number:1962.2723.10
Date:1860-1900
Image of Pot scrubber used by Frances Mercer McCallister, ca. 1880-1900

Pot scrubber used by Frances Mercer McCallister, ca. 1880-1900

Metal pot scrubbers were used to scour heavy cookware in the 19th century. This one was used by Frances Mercer McCallister, who came to the Seattle area in 1863 when she was two years old. She married John W. H. McCallister who ran a brickyard near the Duwamish River in South Seattle. The McCallister home was near the brickyard, and…
ID Number:1962.2723.37
Date:1880-1900
Image of Wooden door from Denny cabin at Alki Point, 1851

Wooden door from Denny cabin at Alki Point, 1851

On September 12, 1851, John Low and David Denny arrived on Alki Point ahead of the rest of the early settler Denny party, and began to build a cabin to house the incoming group. The rest of the party arrived form Portland on November 13, 1851, on the schooner EXACT. This door is believed to be from that first cabin…
ID Number:1962.2728.15
Date:1851
Image of Small writing box or desk, 1840-1860

Small writing box or desk, 1840-1860

This portable desk which flips open to provide a flat writing surface and includes drawer compartments, belonged to John Bell, an early Seattle settler.
ID Number:1963.3059.1
Date:1840-1860
Image of Box made from wood from Yesler's Mill, ca. 1909

Box made from wood from Yesler's Mill, ca. 1909

Henry Yesler built the first steam-powered sawmill in Seattle in 1852. It was instrumental in developing this small white settler town into a thriving city. The mill burned down in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, but wood from the mill was found during the excavation of the public comfort station at Pioneer Place in 1909. This box was made…
ID Number:1963.3093.1
Date:Circa 1909
Image of Cider press, 1866

Cider press, 1866

John Denny, father of Arthur Denny, brought this cider press to Seattle in 1869 for use on the family's farm located between Pike and Union Streets on Seventh Avenue. The press works by grinding up the apples into pulp and pressing the juices out into a bucket.
ID Number:1963.3196.1
Date:1866
Image of Bedstead made by Henry Van Asselt, 1857

Bedstead made by Henry Van Asselt, 1857

Henry Van Asselt settled in the Seattle area in 1851, intending to make his living through agriculture. When his first homestead was burned in the Battle of Seattle of 1856, he left the area for the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where he polished his cabinet-making skills. He opened up a cabinet shop upon his return to Seattle, and his furniture…
ID Number:1964.3230.1
Date:1857
Image of Hand spun wool blanket made by Sarah Latimer Boren Denny, 1850s

Hand spun wool blanket made by Sarah Latimer Boren Denny, 1850s

Sarah (Sallie) Latimer Boren Denny (1805-1888) was born in Tennessee, married Richard Boren in 1822, and together, they had three children, Mary Ann, Carson, and Louisa. Mary Ann went on to marry Arthur Armstrong Denny, and Mary Ann's mother, Sarah, was married for a second time to Arthur's father, John Denny, in 1848. The families travelled across the plains and…
ID Number:1964.3230.4
Date:Circa 1850
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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